MacGyver: Countdown, Suite Life Style
by jasonstoneface
Summary: There is a bomb threat on board the S. S. Tipton. It's up to MacGyver to stop it. Slight Cody/Bailey


Disclaimer: Macgyver belongs to Paramount. Suite Life on Deck belongs to Disney. Got it? Good.

Author's Note: This is a rewrite of the classic MacGyver episode "Countdown," with Suite Life characters inserted. This was inspired "Countdown," as well as several Jurassic Park rewrites I've read that involve differing characters such as Suite Life and Ninja Turtles.

**MACGYVER: COUNTDOWN, SUITE LIFE STYLE**

It was a typical day on the S. S. Tipton as it sailed across the Pacific Ocean. Crewwoman Carol Tanner walked into the weather room. After greeting a fellow crew member, she walked over to a printer. After taking a printout and looking over it, she left the room. Little did she realize that there was a bomb right under her nose. And there was less than a minute to go on it.

Upon entering the bridge, Carol handed the printout to Captain Howard. Marion Moseby, the Tipton's manager and chaperone, was in there with them. Moseby would also serve as captain in Captain Howard's absence. "Take a look at what our eye in the sky has to say," said Carol.

"What are they calling her?" asked Captain Howard.

"Henry," answered Carol. "Two hundred miles across and we're headed right down his throat. I think the passengers might object."

"Indeed," said Moseby. "Not exactly vacation weather."

"Make a course adjustment," said Howard. "See if we can skirt Henry's west perimeter."

At that moment, the phone buzzed. Moseby answered, "Bridge? Right away. Patch him through." As he handed the phone to the captain, he said, "It's the home office for you, Captain."

Captain Howard took the phone. "Captain Howard, aboard the Tipton? Control, over." There was a long silence before he spoke again. "I'll check it out personally. This is the Tipton."

The bomb was down to thirty seconds.

"What is it?" asked Carol.

"Bomb threat," answered the captain. This caught the attention of the crew that were in the room.

"Bomb threat?" asked Moseby stunned. "Who'd want to kill us?"

"I don't know, Moseby," answered Captain Howard. "But take over the bridge. Tanner, notify Henshaw and Neilson to meet me in the weather compartment immediately."

"Yes, sir," answered Carol. Howard then left, leaving Moseby in charge.

In the Seven Seas High classroom, Miss Emma Tutweiller handed out some papers to the class. She said, "Now class, remember this test counts for thirty percent of your grade. I expect no talking and no cheating."

Captain Howard walked into the weather room. . .

2. . . 1. . .

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the bridge. "Abandon ship! Abandon ship!" yelled Mr. Moseby hysterically.

The students also heard and felt it. "What was that?" asked Zack and Cody Martin in unison.

"Off-hand, I'd say that was an explosion," said Bailey Pickett.

"Oh my gosh!" yelled London Tipton. "Am I dead? I can't be dead, I haven't married Jesse McCartney yet!"

"London!" yelled Cody. "Relax! You're not dead."

"I'm not?" asked London. She felt herself and realized that Cody was right. "Yay me!"

"Class dismissed," said Miss Tutweiller. "We'll take the test tomorrow. I hope."

As Miss Tutweiller walked out of the classroom to find out what was going on, Zack, Cody, Bailey, and London followed. "Miss Tutweiller, where are you going?" asked Zack.

"To find Mr. Moseby. Maybe he knows what's going on."

When they found him, they looked in horror at the destroyed weather room. "Mr. Mosebey, what happened?" asked Miss Tutweiller.

"Bomb threat," answered Mr. Moseby. "Unfortunately, this one killed the captain, so I'm in charge now. Kirby's leading a search for the bomb even as we speak."

"You mean there's another bomb on board?" asked Zack. "I thought the bomb just went off?"

"It was probably just a warning bomb," said Cody.

"A real bomb threat would involve blowing up the whole ship," continued Bailey. "And us with it."

London threw herself into Mr. Moseby's arms. She yelled, "Please, don't let me die! Please, don't let me die! I'll do anything! I'll give up all my money, I'll give up all my clothes, I'll even give up my webshow! Please don't let me die!"

"London, stop it, please!" yelled Mr. Moseby. "Relax, relax! I do not want to start a panic around here!"

"But what about life boats?" asked Miss Tutweiller.

"Out of the question," said Moseby. "There's a typhoon heading straight for us."

"So we're stuck here?" asked Zack. "What are we gonna do?"

"Don't worry," answered Mr. Moseby. "Help is on the way. I just hope it gets here in time."

In Los Angeles, MacGyver was asleep on the couch in his houseboat. The TV was still on playing a western. His phone rang, causing him to reluctantly wake up. After three rings, he turned off the TV and finally answered. "Hello?" he said sleepily.

"MacGyver?" asked the man on the other line, Pete Thornton.

"Pete, whatever it is, it had better be good."

"It is," said Pete. "Mac, I need your help."

"Last time you said that to me, I ended up in Washington wearing a pinstriped suit and a necktie," said MacGyver.

"Yeah, well, that was a show-and-tell," said Pete. "This is for real. It's important."

"How important?"

"Well, a cruise ship in the north Pacific and a bomb threat from some clown calling himself 'Viking.' There are 1100 passengers on board, including teenagers who go to school there, one of them being London Tipton, heiress to the Tipton Hotel franchise. How's that?"

"You make it kinda tough for a guy to say no," said MacGyver.

"Some of my old friends from DXS are working with Phoenix on this," said Pete. "There will be a team briefing at Phoenix. I think I'll have at least one pleasant surprise for you. Get here as fast as possible, will you?"

"See you then."

MacGyver pulled up at the Phoenix Foundation's main building in his black Jeep. After he got out, he stopped as he saw someone. Someone familiar. "Charlie?" The said man turned around. "Charlie Robinson?"

Recognition dawned on Charlie as he asked, "MacGyver? I don't believe it!"

"Charlie!" said MacGyver as they shook hands and hugged. "Good to see you! How you been?"

"Good, good, real good," said Charlie.

"How's Shirley?" asked MacGyver.

"Well, lately, Mac, Shirley's been a little bit under the weather." His smile widened as he added, "Darn near every morning."

MacGyver took off his sunglasses as he realized what Charlie was saying. "You're kidding? That's terrific. Congratulations, pop!"

"Hey, thanks a lot, Mac. You know, we've been trying for a long time and it finally happened."

"Well, that's terrific," said MacGyver, genuinely happy for his old friend. "But what are you doing here?"

"Well, what is it you always say?" asked Charlie. "'Too big to talk about?'"

"You haven't been talking to a guy named Peter Thornton, have you?" asked MacGyver.

"You got called up for this one too?" asked Charlie. "This is great. This is great!"

"Charlie, you get back in your car and go back home."

"Uh, uh. This one's gonna bail your old dad out. You know, Uncle Sam found me in that computer expert file of his and put $25,000 on the counter."

"Look, Charlie," said MacGyver. "This isn't you and me back in the day, and there wasn't a Shirley or a little one on the way back then, either."

"I know, I know," said Charlie. "And there wasn't a supply company and a home mortgage looking bankruptcy square in the face." MacGyver clenched his teeth and held in what he was about to say. "Nothing more to say," said Charlie. "I'm in."

As Charlie walked towards the door, MacGyver said, "You got a screw loose, you know that?"

"So?" asked Charlie with a smile. "What else is new?" Both men laughed as they threw their arms around each other's shoulders and entered the building.

Inside, a short, brown haired man took a printout and walked up to Pete and another man. As he walked, it was noticeable that his right leg didn't bend at the knee. It was obviously an artificial leg. He said to Pete, "Suspects. Fifty to start, more to run down. Any priority you want set up."

"I recruited you to do a job," said Pete. "Best way you see getting it done."

The man smiled and said, "That's all I need to hear." He then said to the other man, "Carlyle, let's get an EPIC link-up with Central East and Southwest regions. I want a profile on these guys, M. O.'s smoking the wires."

As they went to get to work, MacGyver and Charlie approached Pete. "Doggone it, Pete, Charlie's got not business taking this gig," said MacGyver.

"So, you're Peter Thornton," said Charlie as they shook hands. "Charlie Robinson. And ignore him. He has this irrepressible paternal instinct towards me."

"Mac, what is it?" asked Pete. "You guys were in the service together. You were a bomb-defusing team."

Charlie smiled and said, "Only the best."

Pete said, "Okay, coordination and control come from here. We've got direct communications with the Tipton. They've got a search going for the bomb right now."

"What's the threat assessment?" asked MacGyver.

"Well, there was a warning bomb that wiped out the weather room and killed the captain," explained Pete. "Come here." MacGyver and Charlie followed as Pete showed them some images on a screen. He continued, "There's a storm front moving in that makes it impossible to put the passengers into life boats. As far as sea or air rescue, there are no ships or air rescue units close enough to get to the Tipton before she's into the typhoon zone."

"So how do we get there?" asked Charlie. "Take a bus?"

"No," answered Pete. "You take a jet to Midway and a Huey chopper the rest of the way."

"Pete, have you given any consideration to tracking down this bomber?" asked MacGyver.

"Oh, we're on that," said Pete. "With an expert: Mike Donahue." Pete pointed to the man with the artificial leg.

"Donahue," said Charlie. "Is that the same Donahue that ran a bomb squad a couple of years before our time?"

"The same," confirmed Pete. "Medical discharge and back in the Police Department. He runs one of the best bomb investigation units in the country."

"They've located the bomb," said Carlyle as he and Donahue walked back to Pete, MacGyver, and Charlie with a printout. "Near the Tipton's engine room."

"Disguised as an electrical cabinet," continued Donahue as he took the printout, "two feet across, three feet in height, below the water line."

Pete took the printout as MacGyver said, "Threat assessment verified, eh?"

"So, you're the guys who get to find out how it ticks?" asked Donahue.

Realizing that they hadn't been properly introduced, Pete said, "Oh, MacGyver, Robinson, Mike Donahue."

"Heard a lot about you," said Charlie as he shook Donahue's hand.

"Only the best," said MacGyver as he did the same.

"Thank you, that's what Thornton said about you guys," said Donahue. "The question is, how good is this Viking?"

There was a buzz. Carlyle answered it and said, "Patch from shipping headquarters coming through. Viking's on the line."

"Put it on the P. A.," ordered Pete. "Start a trace."

Everyone in the room was able to hear a distorted male voice coming through. "Good morning," said the voice. "This is Viking. You will be interested to know that I am aware that Mr. Thornton is listening in from his headquarters. In fact, I know all about your efforts, Mr. Thornton, and the experts you have recruited to stop me. Donahue. How's the leg Donahue, the one you lost on your last tour of duty? Robinson. Congratulations on the upcoming baby. And of course, your ex-partner, the inventive Mr. MacGyver."

As he listened, MacGyver said sarcastically, "Hey, Pete, nice security."

"Mac, I don't want to hear it," said Pete.

Viking continued, "The bomb is set to go off at 6:30 pm, your time, ten and one half hours from now. The way to stop the bomb is put together 6 million dollars and deliver it."

"The switching station at Proctor puts the call somewhere in Westwood," said Carlyle.

"Notify all field units," ordered Pete.

"Please, don't disappoint me," finished Viking.

Once Viking hung up, Donahue simply said, "D***."

Charlie looked at his watch and said, "6:30. Five-hour flight to Midway, another two and a half hours on the chopper. That'll give us about three hours to work on the bomb."

MacGyver and Charlie wasted little time. They flight on the jet to Midway went off without a hitch and their ride on the helicopter went much the same way. As they continued to fly over the Pacific, Charlie was holding some things from a red bag. "Ah, the tools of our old trade. Boy, these bring back a few memories."

"Yeah," said MacGyver, "Like the time you hocked them for a night out."

"Only the essentials, MacGyver," said Charlie. "And if I remember right, you had one of your most memorable evenings in the French Quarter."

"Oui, monsieur," said MacGyver.

"Tipton's dead ahead," the pilot informed them. "We'll have to cable you down. Then I'm out of here. No telling when that storm will roll in. Let's start with your bag of bomb tools. It'll help me line up on wind direction." MacGyver and Charlie hooked the cable up to the bag.

The passengers on the Tipton began talking amongst themselves as they saw the chopper approaching. Zack, Cody, London, Bailey, and Miss Tutweiller were standing with Mr. Moseby, Tanner, and another crewman. Moseby said to the crewman, "I want you to cordon off this area and keep the passengers way back."

"Yes, sir," said the man as he did what he was asked.

Back on the chopper, the pilot said, "Okay, boys, I've got cable control in the cockpit. Let her go." MacGyver swung the cable with bag of tools out over the ship. The pilot then pushed a red button, slowly lowering the bag. The bag was going down slowly when suddenly, something happened that caused the bag to fall faster.

"Bob, we got a winch malfunction," said MacGyver.

But try as he might, there was nothing the pilot could do. "I can't override, Mac."

"Mac, we're gonna lose our tools!" exclaimed Charlie.

"Correction, Charlie," said MacGyver as the bag finally hit the water. "They're already gone."

Seeing this, Miss Tutweiller said, "They've lost their cable. They'll never make it."

"They have to," said Mr. Moseby.

Bailey was trying to watch through a pair of binoculars as best she could. "This doesn't look good."

Back on the chopper, Charlie said, "Mac, that bomb's not waiting for anybody." MacGyver looked at the countdown on his watch. There were three hours and nineteen minutes left. "A little more than three hours," added Charlie. "That's all we have left."

Back on the ship, London was hysterical. "I knew I was gonna die! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

"London, please!" said Moseby as he put a hand over her mouth. "You're going to scare the other passengers!"

On the chopper, MacGyver turned around and got an idea. "Mac, where are you going?" asked Charlie.

"Well, we can't just sit up here and look like a bunch of dummies," answered MacGyver. "What say we work on a way to turn this cargo net into something useful?"

Bailey continued to look through her binoculars. "What in the world?" she asked.

"Let me see," said Cody as Bailey let him have the binoculars. Seeing what MacGyver was doing, he said, "It looks like he's taking apart a cargo net. Maybe he's trying to use it to improvise a repelling line."

Charlie had thought the same thing. "Mac, you're a wonder," he said. "A true wonder."

"Just survival, Charlie," said MacGyver as he worked.

As the rope was thrown down, Zack said, "If that's the case, Cody, I hope it works."

MacGyver asked Charlie, "Hand me that carabiner, will you?" MacGyver checked his watch. Three hours, fourteen minutes. After Charlie handed him the carabiner, MacGyver said, "Listen, you can still go back to Midway on the chopper."

"And miss a ride like this?" asked Charlie. As both men took off their headsets, he added, "I think not."

"Pick a number between one and ten, quick," said MacGyver.

"Seven."

"Close, but wrong. I go first."

"Hold her steady, Bob," said Charlie. "We want to keep him dry."

"I'll vote for that," said the pilot. "Give me the count when ready."

"Hooking up," said MacGyver as he placed some rope into the carabiner.

As MacGyver stepped out and put on some gloves to protect his hands from rope-burn, Charlie said, "He's on the rail. Stand by."

When he was ready, MacGyver said, "Bomb's away, Charlie!"

"Go, Mac!" said Charlie as MacGyver finally made his way down onto the ship. When he touched down, Charlie followed.

Once both men touched down, Moseby said to Tanner, "Contact control. Tell them they're on board."

"Yes, sir," said Tanner as she walked away.

Mr. Moseby, Miss Tutweiller, Zack, Cody, London, and Bailey then approached the two men. Mr. Moseby spoke first. "I'm Marion Moseby, acting captain of the Tipton."

As he shook Moseby's hand, MacGyver introduced himself. "Captain, name's MacGyver, this is Charlie Robinson."

"Captain," said Charlie as he shook Moseby's hand.

"Please," said Mr. Moseby. "Just call me Moseby."

"That bag," said Miss Tutweiller. "Was it important?"

"Well, that kinda depends on the bomb, ma'am," answered MacGyver. "Can we get to it?"

"Engine room," said Moseby. "Follow me."

As they walked, Charlie asked, "Moseby, what have you told the passengers?"

"As little as possible." Referring to Zack, Cody, Bailey, London, and Tutweiller, he said, "I still wish they didn't know."

As they trekked towards the engine room, MacGyver asked, "How long do you plan on keeping the passengers in the dark?"

"For the rest of the trip, if I have to. We're trying to steer around a typhoon, which prohibits any thought of using lifeboats," Moseby retorted. "And there's a bomb on board! What do you expect me to do, Mr. MacGyver? Create panic? London's already panicked enough as it is!"

"Well, it was me, I'd be awfully curious," answered MacGyver. "Especially with Charlie and me coming on board several hours after that first bomb went off."

Moseby turned and said, "Then answer me this: Would you want to know that there's a very strong possibility that you could die a violent death sometime within the next three hours?"

MacGyver looked Moseby directly in the eye. He then looked to Charlie, Miss Tutweiller, the kids, and back to Moseby before answering. "Yes, sir, I would." With that, they continued on.

They finally entered the engine room. Pointing to an electrical panel, Moseby said, "There it is. There's no telling how long it's been here or how it got on board. It wasn't' really seen until we started looking for it."

"Looks just like it belongs here," said Charlie.

"Yeah, until you take this panel off," said Zack as he reached for it.

"Don't touch that!" yelled Charlie.

"It's okay," reassured Moseby. "Cody, help him. And be careful." Cody nodded as he helped his twin remove the panel and place it on the floor. Moseby continued, "Haggis saw that it was the bomb after he opened it. We've touched nothing else."

With the bomb now visible, Charlie let out a whistle.

Bailey said, "Oh. My. Gosh."

"I don't like the sound of that," said London nervously. Zack, Cody, Bailey, Moseby, and Miss Tutweiller looked at her. She said, "What? I may not be smart, but the way Bailey was talking, that just sounds bad."

"And you're right," said MacGyver. "This guy is no amateur."

"Ooh," said Charlie. "Just look at those bomb triggers, Mac."

"Uh huh," said MacGyver. "Chemical, mechanical, electrical. Get through one, you've got another."

"And pray we take them out in the right sequence," added Charlie.

"You mean, there's a certain pattern in which you've got to disarm it?" asked Zack.

"Yep," answered MacGyver. "One wrong move and. . . kaboom."

"Here," said Moseby as he handed two headsets to MacGyver and Charlie. "The connection to Mr. Thornton in Los Angeles is ready."

Once they got their headsets on, MacGyver said, "Pete? Yo, Pete?"

Back at headquarters, Pete heard MacGyver's transmission coming through. He quickly went to the communication station and said, "Yeah? Mac? I can hear you. How's it look?"

"Well, this one looks like it's gonna be a maze of triggers before we get to the real thing," answered MacGyver. "Mike, are you hooked up to the NCIC bomb file?"

"Right," answered Donahue. "Just call out the trigger M. O.s and we'll track them. That's a good idea, Mac."

"Well, I just hope it pays off," said MacGyver. "Now, this first one I'm looking at we ran across a whole bunch way back when."

"Yeah," said Charlie. "The Ling Chow bomber."

Hearing this, Donahue said, "Oh boy. Well, I know its technology. You're looking at some kind of chemical detonator."

"Yeah," confirmed MacGyver. "Powder in a dish."

Donahue was thinking. "Um. . . sodium? Could be sodium?"

"Well, it could be," said MacGyver. "But I don't see any source of water to set it off. It's sitting below a heat-sensitive thermocouple with a little blue light on it."

"Dishful of some kind of powdered chemical, geez, it could be anything. Well, it's a start. Okay, guys, one list of Ling Chow bomber types coming up."

Back on the ship, Charlie asked, "Well, partner, who scrubs and who assists?"

Before MacGyver could answer, Kirby Morris, the Tipton's security guard, walked in. "Captain? Sir?"

Moseby had been so focused on the bomb that it took a while for him to notice. When he did, he said, "Oh, um, yes, Kirby?"

"We've found another bomb," said Kirby. "D Deck, compartment six."

"Where exactly is this D Deck?" asked MacGyver.

Moseby showed them a nearby map of the ship. "Alright, we're here, below the water line. And D Deck is all the way down here."

"Opposite ends of the ship," said MacGyver. "Could be synched to go off at the same time."

"And counting down from three hours, six minutes," added Charlie.

"Well, partner," said MacGyver, "looks like we both scrub." Charlie smiled.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Bailey.

MacGyver smiled. "Just hold a steady course and think positive thoughts."

This got a smile out of everyone, even Mr. Moseby, despite the circumstances. "We'll do that," said Moseby. "But first, I need to have a talk with the passengers. Come."

Moseby, Miss Tutweiller, Zack, Cody, London, Bailey, Kirby, and Charlie all walked out, leaving MacGyver alone with the bomb. When they were gone, Mac crouched down in front of the bomb and said, "Well, it's just you and me now."

When he got to the bridge, Mr. Moseby got on the intercom and said, "Now hear this. Now hear this. This is the captain speaking with an important message for all passengers." This got the attention of all the passengers. "The explosion that killed Captain Howard several hours ago was the beginning of a serious threat against everyone on board the Tipton. The two men whom you saw boarding the ship from that helicopter are two bomb experts sent to defuse them. Please, I beg of you, try not to panic and pray that those two brave men are able to save us all."

When Kirby and Charlie entered D Deck, Kirby said, "That's it. Good luck." Charlie nodded.

When Kirby was gone, Charlie unzipped his jacket and took it off. "Mac, can you read me?"

"Yeah," answered MacGyver. "Loud and clear. Viking must have had a field day placing these bombs on board. Is your bomb built into a phony electrical panel like this one?"

"Yep," answered Charlie. "All the triggers are behind a sealed glass cover. I got an exact copy of yours, Mac." Charlie then began feeling around the edge. "This stuff around the edge looks like some kind of booby trap." As MacGyver felt it, he heard Charlie ask, "Plastic explosive, maybe?"

"No, I'd say it's some kind of silicone base," answered MacGyver. "Probably a sealer of some kind."

"Well, whatever the case may be," said Charlie, "we gotta get inside. We're counting down fast." Sure enough, his watch indicated that there were just under three hours left.

"Well, don't push it, Charlie," said Mac. "We don't want to rush things here." Miss Tutweiller, Zack, Cody, London, and Bailey had joined Moseby on the bridge as MacGyver added, "I got a hunch that's exactly what Viking wants us to do."

Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, Viking had again contacted Phoenix. "This is Viking. I assume you've found the second bomb by now and have gathered the $6 million. So listen closely. You must realize that you do not have either the time or intelligence to stop my bombs, only I can stop them. Provided you do exactly what tell you." Somewhere in Los Angeles, there was a recordable phone, but no one was present in the room. Viking continued, "If my instructions are not carried out precisely, you will not hear from me again, and you will not learn how to disarm the bombs. You will put the money in a briefcase and place it in locker 324 at the downtown bus depot. And, gentlemen, it will be both futile and dangerous to try to locate me."

When Viking was finished, Pete asked, "Carlyle?"

Carlyle had been on a phone the whole time. "No trace. He knows exactly what he's doing."

Back on the Tipton, MacGyver and Charlie heard Pete's voice. "MacGyver, Robinson, we got a dead end on the trace. No Ling Chow suspects. I'm gonna go ahead with the money drop."

This seemed to surprise Donahue, but he said nothing.

"You hear that, Charlie?" asked MacGyver.

"Yep," answered Charlie. "But suppose Viking doesn't live up to his end of the bargain?"

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"I'm suggesting maybe Viking WON'T tell us how to turn this thing off. So we can't sit around and wait. Pick a number, Mac."

"No, we've played that game already," said MacGyver.

"I guess that means it's my turn to go first then," said Charlie. "You just follow in my footsteps, partner."

"Alright," said MacGyver. "But, Charlie, remember the routine: By the numbers. Slow and easy. And we'll live forever."

Charlie smiled. "By the numbers."

On the bridge, London said, "I want to live forever. So please save me, please, please, please, please, please?"

MacGyver chuckled, "We'll do our best, London." As Charlie prepared, MacGyver said, "Call it out, Charlie."

Charlie had a metallic point and a tube of something. "Alright, here's my plan: I'm gonna probe the gasket that runs around the outside of the bomb casing. The one that you think is a silicone base. I'm using a dental probe from the ship's doctor. I'm sealing the entry with petroleum jelly." He slowly pushed the probe through. Everyone in Los Angeles and the bridge was listening in intently, even Zack and London. Charlie continued, "I'm penetrating the seal."

"The chemical in that dish could be any one of a number of things," said MacGyver.

"I just need a sample to test," said Charlie. "Then we'll know." Slowly, but surely, Charlie was inching ever closer to the dish. "I'm getting there. I'm getting there, Mac!" He was almost there, when suddenly. . .

Air began to blow inside the bomb! Realizing this, Charlie yelled, "IT'S A VACUUM, MAC! IT'S A VACUUM! YOU'VE GOT TO. . ."

KABOOM!

The bomb exploded, rocking the bridge. It also caused everyone back at Phoenix to flinch. "Charlie!" yelled MacGyver.

On the bridge, everyone just stood there stunned. Tears began rolling down Bailey's face as she wrapped her arms around Cody and cried on his shoulder. This surprised Cody, but he put his arms around her and attempted to comfort her.

Realizing that his friend was gone, MacGyver hung his head and said, "Charlie."

Later, Moseby was talking with Tanner. She said, "Damage control has the area isolated and secure. The affected compartment is shut tight and holding."

"Good," said Moseby. "Now, I want lifeboats ready and a lifeboat drill scheduled. The passengers will be briefed then. Although that typhoon is still headed for us, we may be forced to take our chances."

"Yes, sir," said Tanner as she walked away.

MacGyver, though, hadn't been paying attention. He was standing at the railing, staring out at the ocean.

Moseby, Miss Tutweiller, Zack, Cody, London, and Bailey slowly approached him. "We're sorry about your friend," said Zack.

MacGyver just stood there. Finally, he spoke. "Charlie and I busted 51 bombs together."

"My gosh," said Miss Tutweiller.

MacGyver continued, "Charlie used to put a little scratch on the wall above our bunks every time we'd get back from doing one. We used to tell anyone who would listen that we were going for the record. The day we shipped out, he counted them. Fifty-one. And then he laughed. Just laughed."

"Don't care," said London. "What does that have to do with saving me? You CAN still save me, right? RIGHT?"

"London?" asked Mr. Moseby, sternly. That shut London up. He then said to MacGyver, "I think what Miss Tipton here is trying to say is, is there a point to this story?"

"Yeah, there is," said MacGyver. "If we get out of here alive, it's because Charlie figured out number 52 in the split second before he died."

"What do you mean?" asked Cody.

"He yelled, 'vacuum,'" answered MacGyver. "That whole bomb is in a vacuum. The chemical is phosphorous, triggered to explode when air hits it. The phosphorous flashed, tripped a thermocouple, and that was that."

"But if the bomb is built inside a vacuum," said Bailey, "there's no way you can take that glass cover off without air getting in."

"Not unless I fill that vacuum with something else," said MacGyver as he finally turned and started to walk back to the bomb.

"With what?" asked Zack. "Can it even be done?"

Stopping, MacGyver asked, "Moseby, you got any neon signs on board?"

Before he could answer, Kirby ran up to them. "The search party found another one. In the auxiliary power room."

"You got two neon signs?" asked MacGyver.

"This is becoming insane!" exclaimed Bailey. "How many more bombs can there be?"

"Well, we're sure of the two and there's no reason to believe they're not in sequence, so we're gonna have to disarm them simultaneously," said MacGyver. "I can't be in two places at once, so I'm gonna need a new partner. Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it," said Mr. Moseby.

"No," said Cody. "I will." This surprised everyone, particularly Bailey. But she was too shocked to say anything.

"Cody, are you out of your mind?" asked Miss Tutweiller.

"No," said Cody. "I'm more expendable than you or Mr. Moseby. The ship is your responsibility, Mr. Moseby. Besides, London needs you."

"Look, Cody," said MacGyver, "I appreciate the fact that you want to help, but I don't want the death of a kid on my conscience."

"I'm not a kid, Mr. MacGyver," said Cody. "I'm 16 years old. Besides, if those bombs blow, both kids and adults are gonna die anyway."

MacGyver had nothing to say other than, "Okay. Moseby?"

"Oh, um, yes," said Mr. Moseby. "Very well, let's get started. And I believe we have some neon lights in the lounge."

As everyone walked towards the lounge, Zack whispered to London, "I hope he's not doing this just to impress Bailey." London nodded, understanding something for once.

Back in Los Angeles, Donahue and his team, along with other cops were at the bus depot. Donahue was already inside when Carlyle and another of his group, Harrison, pulled up. Carlyle joined Donahue inside, while Harrison stayed outside as a backup. Their plan was to put the briefcase with the money in the designated locker. Figuring that Viking had a duplicate key, they intended to grab him whenever he tried to get the money.

As he and Carlyle walked away from the locker, Donahue said, "Alright, I'm going out to the car. I'll call in and check on the M. O. follow-up." He then looked at his watch. "Less than an hour to go. Something has to give."

"Yeah," said Carlyle. "I'm just afraid of what that something is."

Back on the Tipton, MacGyver and Cody were in the rooms with the bombs, MacGyver said, "Alright, Cody, what we're gonna do here is make a little fair exchange. We're gonna replace the vacuum with a little neon gas."

"Right," said Cody. "Just tell me what to do."

"I gotta admit though, I was surprised to see you volunteer," said MacGyver.

"I guess I get it from Zack," said Cody. "He's a schemer. We've been involved in some crazy situations, but this has got to be the DUMBEST stunt I ever had a hand in."

MacGyver said, "First step: Take the sharpening stone we got out of the bar and scrape a little piece of the neon right at the very end." Cody did exactly what MacGyver did. "Now, before you break the tube, make sure you got the cork handy to plug it so the gas doesn't escape. One step at a time, right?"

"Right," said Cody as he finished scraping the tube.

MacGyver broke the top off the tube and quickly placed the cork in. "Alright, now break the tube and plug it fast like I just did."

"Gotcha," said Cody. He then broke the top off and plugged it. "Done. But I still don't understand what you're doing."

"You'll see in a minute," said MacGyver. "Now, we're gonna work the tube through the sealer. When I pull the cork, hopefully, I'll get a momentary suction that ought to give us enough time to get the phosphorous out."

Back on the bridge, Moseby asked, "Are you sure about this, MacGyver?"

"Nope," was Mac's simple answer.

"Then why are you doing it if you're not sure it's gonna work?" asked Miss Tutweiller.

"My grandfather used to say, 'Only a fool is sure of anything. A wise man always keeps on guessing.' You ready, Cody."

Cody took a deep breath. "As I'll ever be."

"Alright. Nice and slow. I'll go first." MacGyver slowly pushed the tube through the seal. "I'm working the silicone sealer. The glass tube is maintaining an air-tight penetration. Easy. Real easy. Just about through. This is the tricky part." Finally, he made it through. "I'm in. Now, I'm gonna pop the cork against the edge of the dish. Cork's out. Neon gas exchange has given me the vacuum. It's working. It's extracting the phosphorous from the dish. I have an environmental exchange in the bomb cavity. The dish is empty. Removing the tube, dumping the phosphorous." As MacGyver dumped the phosphorous, there was a brief, harmless boom. "Okay, Cody, it's your turn. Now, work the tube through slowly. Keep moving it forward until you get through the silicone sealer."

"Right," said Cody. "Here goes nothing." Just like MacGyver, Cody slowly pushed the tube through the seal. "Almost. . . okay I'm in. I'm slowly moving towards the dish." As Cody tried to pop the cork, he said, "Having a little trouble with the cork. . . got it." As the tube removed the phosphorous, Cody said, "It's working. It's sucking up the chemicals. It's empty." He pulled the tube out and said, "Dumping the phosphorous. . . now!" Just like MacGyver, when Cody dumped the phosphorous, there was a harmless boom.

On the bridge, Bailey asked, "Cody, are you okay?"

Cody closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "That. Was. Frightening."

"Well, that's one small step for local mankind," said MacGyver. "And still a mile to go." Looking at the thermocouple, MacGyver said, "That thermocouple is German made, Boltex. If you guys want to check it out in the bomber file, we'll get on top of this blue cauldron on top of the bomb."

Back at Phoenix, Pete said, "You've got less than an hour now."

"Yeah, tell me about it," said MacGyver. "You guys any closer to this Viking?"

"Not an inch," answered Pete.

At Phoenix, the phone sounded. Pete picked it up as Viking's voice came through. "Mr. Thornton, this is Viking. Despite your efforts to ensnare me at the bus station, I have the money. But you have dealt in bad faith, so I have decided not to give you the bomb-disarming instructions. Good-bye, Mr. Thornton."

Once he hung up, Pete then contacted Donahue's men. "Control to field operations, come in."

At the bus station, Carlyle answered, "Control, this is Carlyle, go ahead. But we haven't taken our eyes off of it!" As Donahue walked up to him, he then said into his com-link, "Harrison, get this place locked down! There's a rumor the six million's already gone!"

"What is it?" asked Donahue.

"Thornton says that Viking's got the money." Carlyle and Donahue walked up to the locker along with an undercover officer who was sitting with the civilians. Carlyle opened the locker. "The money's gone!" There was a false back on the locker that led to the back room, which Harrison walked into shortly after.

At Phoenix, Pete got on the com-line. "Mac, I got some bad news. Real bad. Viking somehow outmaneuvered us with the ransom. He got it out of the locker at the bus station. We had it staked out but we didn't get him." Cody, plus everyone on the bridge heard what Pete was saying. And it scared them to death. "He just called. Gloating about it. But worse than that, he says that we broke faith by trying to trap him. So now he's REALLY going to punish us. He's got the $6 million. But he's not going to tell us how to deactivate the bombs. He's gonna let all those people die. The bottom line, Mac: It's up to you now."

Hearing this, MacGyver stood up and ran his hands down his face. The pressure was on, he knew.

On the bridge, Bailey ran out. Zack followed her. He saw her standing at the railing. He approached her and asked, "Hey, you okay?"

Bailey turned around and Zack saw tears rolling down her face. "No, I'm not okay!" she yelled. "We're all gonna die and I. . .I. . ."

For once, Zack said nothing. He wrapped his arms around Bailey and comforted her. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

Meanwhile, MacGyver said, "Alright, Cody, this is where we find out just how good Viking is. This pipe work in that blue cauldron looks like our last trigger."

"I'm sorry, Mr. MacGyver, but I don't have a clue what I'm looking at," said Cody. "And I'm an A-student."

"Well, you're doing just fine. And you're not alone."

Back at Phoenix, Pete received a printout.

Back on the Tipton, MacGyver said, "Alright, I'm touching the right-hand connection at the circuit boards."

Pete walked to communications desk and said, "Mac, freeze it!"

"What?" asked MacGyver.

"The computer says the Ling Chow bomber used an unstable electrolyte fluid trigger on two sabotage attempts," explained Pete.

"What does that mean?" asked Miss Tutweiller from the bridge.

"The fluid carries a current," answered MacGyver. "Now our problem is to neutralize it."

Now that Donahue was back at Phoenix himself, Pete called, "Donahue."

Donahue and Carlyle walked over to Pete and looked at the printout. "This doesn't ring any bells."

"Are you sure?" asked Pete. "You commanded the lead sabotage control group during your last three years of service."

"Well, yeah," said Donahue, "but I didn't ride them all personally." He looked at the printout again and said, "Alright, Mac, hold on a second. This could be an acid mixture."

"Yeah, that's what I figured," said MacGyver. "Breach the piping circuit and release the acid."

"I see now," said Cody. "We'd release the acid into this lateral wiring."

"Yeah," said Mac. "Probably create a short."

"So, what now?" asked Cody.

"Moseby?"

"Here, MacGyver," said Moseby.

"I got an idea," said MacGyver. "But we're gonna need some things. For both of us."

"Name them."

"Pastry tube, a container of liquid oven cleaner, and a pint of milk please."

"Milk?" asked Mr. Moseby in disbelief.

"Yeah," said MacGyver. "Non-fat if you got it."

Pete was just as surprised by this. "MacGyver, milk?"

"Add a strong alkaline base and an organic neutral," explained Mac. "Think of it as one giant dose of industrial strength antacid."

"Oh, I get it," said Cody. "Kinda like homemade Tums."

"Yeah, in a sense," said MacGyver, impressed with how Cody caught on. "If it's an acid, we're in business."

"And what if you're wrong?" asked Donahue.

"Well, then it's back to the old drawing board," answered MacGyver.

When they got their things, MacGyver took the cap off of the pastry tube. "Alright, Cody, this is the best we have to work with. First the milk. About three-quarters full should do it. You got that?" As he was saying this, he poured the milk into his tube.

"Got it," said Cody as he did the same.

"Now, I'm gonna top it off with the oven cleaner. You do the same. And mix it up real good."

Cody did what he was told. "Alright, it's mixed. I'm putting the cap back on."

"Good," said MacGyver. "Time check: Nineteen minutes, forty-one seconds, and counting. Now, I'm gonna pry up the lead glass stopper seal on top of the number one cylinder, upper right quadrant."

"I'm right with you," said Cody.

As MacGyver moved to remove the first stopper seal, he said, "Okay, Cody, this is probably acid, so just wait until I get the stopper seals off." Using his Swiss Army knife, he pulled the first seal off. "There's the first one. It's acid alright, I can smell it. Now, number two. Okay, Cody, go ahead and remove your number one stopper seal." Once he got all four stopper seals off, MacGyver said, "Alright, Cody, I'm putting the first dose of neutralizer into the acid in cylinder number one. Cylinder two." As he saw what was going on with the acid, MacGyver said, "There's a reaction starting. All four are treated. How are you doing?"

"I'm just about to remove the final stopper seal," answered Cody. "There. Stopper seal's off."

"Good job, kid," complimented MacGyver. "Now inject our milk and oven cleaner mixture into the acid."

"I'm doing it right now," said Cody. "I have reactions. All four cylinders are cloudy. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"That's good," answered MacGyver. "In fact, that's exactly what we want. Now, we wait. What do you think, Donahue? Seems we may be on the right track."

"Well, I am impressed," said Donahue. "You just may have licked it."

"Didn't your boys do a post-mortem on this acid trigger?" asked MacGyver.

"Well, sure we did," answered Donahue. "But there wasn't much left after she blew. We ended up with a lot of guess-work."

"That's too bad," said MacGyver. "I'd sure like to know if I'm right. Well, we'll know in about five minutes. Hey, Pete, don't forget, you and I have got a little golf match as soon as this job is over."

Pete chuckled and said, "Yeah, right. And I'm gonna spot you a stroke a hole, buddy." He then turned to Donahue and said, "I'm gonna check in with my friends at DXS. Keep monitoring." Donahue nodded. Pete then walked over to a phone and pushed a button. "Mac? What's up?"

"Are we clear?" asked MacGyver.

"Yeah," answered Pete. "We're on a separate channel. Come on, you never played a round of gold in your entire misspent life. What's up?"

"Listen, I got a notion here," said MacGyver. "Can you check out that incident two years before our time?"

"Yeah, sure I can," answered Pete. "What is it?"

"Well, this is a great piece of booby-trap rigging," explained MacGyver. "And I mean good. But anything this fine usually has a personal signature to it. It's not technology, it's art."

"Art? MacGyver, it's a d*** bomb!"

"You just lack artistic taste. Just cross check them for me, will you, Pete? Phosphorous, thermocouple, acid trigger. Who ran into them?"

"Yeah," said Pete. "It could be anybody on a decon team."

"Yeah, but who was on each of these?" asked MacGyver. "All of them? You might be able to narrow it down to a couple of names. Maybe just one."

"Viking," said Pete with realization. "Okay, Mac, I'm on it." He broke contact and got to work.

"Mr. MacGyver?" asked Cody.

"Yeah?"

"I can see a definite change in the fluid."

"Me too," said MacGyver. "It's neutralizing." Within seconds, the change was complete. MacGyver let out a small smile. "It's clear. Okay everybody, last step coming up. Stand by. I'm draining it now."

As both MacGyver and Cody drained the acid from the bombs, everyone at Phoenix and on the bridge listened in nervously. When the now-neutralized acid was emptied, the thermocouple, the circuit boards, the piece at the bottom all shut down. Seeing this, Cody said, "It worked! Everything's stopped!"

MacGyver smiled. "Okay. We did it."

On the bridge, Miss Tutweiller and London sandwiched Mr. Moseby, while Zack and Bailey hugged. "I told you they could do it," said Zack.

Back at Phoenix, everyone cheered. Amidst the celebration, Pete took a printout. When he turned, Donahue shook his hand and smiled. "MacGyver nailed that sucker."

"He sure did," said Pete happily. "Listen, I'm gonna notify my people. Stay on top of this, will you?"

"You got it."

Pete then walked over to the phone he had used earlier. "Mac?"

"What is it, Pete?" asked MacGyver.

"We're back on the separate channel. The computer ran your pattern. Came up with one name."

"Want a guess?" asked MacGyver.

"Try me," said Pete.

"Viking had to be familiar with each of these trigger-traps," explained MacGyver. "Especially the acid. . . during his last tour of duty. Wasn't that shortly before Donahue lost his leg?"

"Yeah," said Pete. "If you knew, why did you bother with the computer check?"

"It gave us proof," answered MacGyver. "All I had was a hunch."

"Well, it nails Donahue."

MacGyver looked up as he heard a humming. Then a beeping. "Pete, get back on the com line."

"Right," said Pete as he hung up and walked back to the com line.

MacGyver was able to see some red light under the black panel on the bottom. He pulled it off and saw a timer and two switches. There was less than a minute to go. "Cody, get the panel off now. We have to get to the bottom of the bomb. It's reactivated."

This caught the attention of everyone on the bridge. "Oh no," whispered Bailey.

Cody got the panel off and saw what MacGyver was seeing. "Okay, I see what looks like two switches. Yellow and blue."

"Yeah," said MacGyver. "One cuts the circuit, the other one fires it."

"But which?" asked Cody.

"Donahue?" asked MacGyver.

"Right here," said Donahue.

"I'm stuck," said MacGyver. "I got less than a minute. I need some help. We've got all the pieces of Viking's signature right here in the bomb. Stop it and we stop him." Cody, Mr. Moseby, Miss Tutweiller, Zack, Bailey, and London all waited nervously for an answer. "Come on. I've never made this kind of call without Charlie. We'd team it, two heads. Both experts. Help me, Donahue! Help me and we'll stop this guy! What's your head and your gut say? Yellow or blue?"

"Come on, Donahue," said Pete. "You've been there, you can make a judgment call."

"Answer the guy!" said Cody. "There are 1100 people aboard this ship!"

"Namely me!" added London.

Finally, Donahue nervously said, "Blue."

Cody was about to pull the blue, but MacGyver said, "Cody, hold it. In my tracks. I go first, just in case."

"Pull the blue!" yelled Donahue.

With less than ten seconds to go, MacGyver said, "Thanks a lot, Donahue. I'm pulling the yellow."

"No!" yelled Donahue.

MacGyver pulled the yellow switch at the seven-second mark. . . and the bomb deactivated. "It's yellow, Cody! Yank it!" ordered MacGyver.

With two seconds left, Cody pulled the yellow switch, shutting down the bomb. Cody slumped down, leaned his head on the edge of the bomb, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Back at Phoenix, Pete pulled a gun and pointed it at Donahue. "Viking." Donahue tried to turn and run, but he was grabbed by a surprised Carlyle and another officer. Disgusted, Pete said, "Get him out of my sight." Donahue was dragged away in shock.

Back on the Tipton, MacGyver asked, "Cody, how are you doing?"

Cody simply looked up toward the heavens. "Thank God."

"I know what you mean, Cody," said MacGyver. He kissed the switch. "I know what you mean."

Later on, MacGyver was talking to Mr. Moseby, Miss Tutweiller, and London. "Your chopper will be here in an hour," said Moseby. "Are you sure you don't want to stay on? We could recommend the cruise."

"Yeah," said London. "Great food, fun and games, dancing. My dad's even said that everything is on him. As long as it's not on me."

"I just might have to take you up on that offer," said MacGyver.

"But how did you know that Mr. Donahue was Viking?" asked Miss Tutweiller.

"Well, that's a long story," answered MacGyver.

"Well, if I may be so bold, perhaps you could tell me over dinner?"

MacGyver smiled. "I don't see why not."

Cody was standing by the railing when Bailey approached. "Cody?" asked Bailey.

Cody turned around. "Oh, Bailey. I didn't expect to see you."

Bailey smiled. "That was very brave of you, Cody."

"Brave?" scoffed Cody. "I was scared to death."

"Then why did you do it?"

Cody sighed. "I don't know. But as I was doing it, I thought I was gonna die, I though Zack was gonna die,. . . I thought you were gonna die."

"Really?" asked Bailey.

"Yeah, really," said Cody. He then held his head down and asked, "What am I saying?" He looked back up and asked, "Will you promise not to say anything until I'm finished?"

Bailey nodded.

Cody took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes. I lied. The real reason I did it was for you. I know that sounds selfish, but it's the truth. I. . . I like you, Bailey. I've always liked you. I've been trying for months to get you to notice me, but something always happens. Then, when I heard that there was a bomb on board, I thought we were gonna die. It was foolish of me to run in blind to help Mr. MacGyver with the bomb, but I had to do something. But now, I probably just ruined any chance I had. I'm sorry, Bailey." Bailey and Cody stood there for several moments. "Go ahead and say it, Bailey."

"Say what?" asked the confused Kansas girl.

"That you hate me, that I'm selfish, that. . ."

Bailey silenced him, putting a finger to his lips. She then closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. This surprised Cody, but he didn't resist as they kissed.

Up above, Zack saw the whole thing and smiled. "Hey, guys, come here!" Mr. Moseby, Miss Tutweiller, MacGyver, and London approached. "Looks like Cody finally got the girl!"

"About time," said London.

MacGyver just smiled. Everyone watched as Cody and Bailey kissed.

**THE END**


End file.
